


Phoenix in Disguise

by mastrechef



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Gen, Hatake Kakashi Needs a Hug, Protective Hatake Kakashi, Time Travel Fix-It, Uzumaki Naruto Needs a Hug, introspective, they've got to have all kinds of PTSD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-14
Updated: 2020-04-14
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:33:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,417
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23652382
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mastrechef/pseuds/mastrechef
Summary: The Fourth Shinobi War ended, and yet true peace was still a distant dream. The calamitous destruction brought about by the Jūbi only reinforced the fear of the bijū and their jinchūriki. Fear and desperation made people stupid or dangerous. Oftentimes both.Naruto and Kakashi accidentally travel through time and get a chance to fix things. Told through a series of achronological snippets.
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi & Kyuubi | Nine-tails | Kurama, Hatake Kakashi & Uzumaki Naruto, Kyuubi | Nine-tails | Kurama & Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 2
Kudos: 157





	Phoenix in Disguise

**Author's Note:**

> This started as a free writing exercise when I was getting frustrated with my lack of progress on my other writing projects. This was purely for fun and, while vague on the details, does not hold to the canon, because frankly it’s ridiculous and confusing. Just looking at all the uncertainties, discrepancies, and retcons in the timeline gave me a headache, so I opted to ignore a lot of it. Plus the whole premise behind this was to deviate from canon anyway. Italicized lines are song lyrics, so not mine. Eventually, I may come back to this and make it into a coherent story.

_Show no mercy, let the world see we're invincible_

_Show them nothing is beyond our control_

Humans were selfish creatures. They took and took until there was nothing left. And they felt entitled to it. To take what they wanted and damn the consequences. Like that vile sense of absolute superiority made it alright for them to treat the world like their personal playground and all other non-human entities as fuel for their ravenous greed. Like humans were the be-all end-all of intelligent life and therefore allowed to dictate the rules. Even among their own kind the pattern was apparent. The strong were in the right and given free reign while the weak were nothing but fodder. They waged war carelessly and scrabbled for every scrap of power they could get their grubby hands on, perpetuating an endless cycle of hatred, pain, and death.

Of course, there were rare exceptions. Exceedingly rare exceptions, to the point of almost complete non-existence. And it just so happened that Uzumaki Naruto was one of them.

Kurama bared his fangs in a ferocious grin promising extreme prejudice to any who stood in his way. The humans had forgotten that there was always a bigger fish in the sea, a more terrifying predator hunting in the shadows. Graciously, Kurama volunteered to teach them a lesson and remind them of their folly. His feet pounded the ground with earth shattering force while his nine tails lashed the air. Anyone who dared to try laying a finger on Naruto would be crushed mercilessly.

* * *

_And all that I regret_

_I have before, I will again_

Kakashi jolted into awareness, though he didn’t outwardly show it, his body relaxed and his breathing slow and measured. Immediately, he was on his guard. Something was wrong. More than a few somethings even. The first thing he registered was the lack of the usual chakra drain from his sharingan. And yet, he could still feel it there, waiting to be activated. How was that possible? He’d never been able to control the activation of his single sharingan. What was going on? What had he been doing and where was he now? He couldn’t remember. His memories were a scrambled mess, another impossibility given the sharingan’s perfect recall. 

He mentally shoved the confusion to the side. Right now, determining his current situation was the most important. Sorting his head out would have to come later. Kakashi turned his focus outward to glean any clues. He tensed minutely as he finally took notice of three others in the vicinity, berating himself for his carelessness. He was really off his game. By the sounds of their breathing, two were awake while the third kept watch. His breath caught when he got a whiff of a familiar scent.

Minato-sensei.

* * *

_It takes an inner dark to rekindle the fire burning in you_

_Ignite the fire within you_

Sunlight filtered through the thick canopy of leaves, flickering with the wind and dappling the ground in little starbursts of light. It was this that woke Naruto. He groaned as all the aches in his body made themselves known. It felt like he’d been trampled by a herd of bijū and had the collective memories of hundreds of clones slam into his brain simultaneously. Trying to sit up was apparently a bad idea, only causing the pain to flare up stronger. He allowed himself to flop gingerly back to the ground.

“It’s fine, I didn’t want to get up anyway,'' he grumbled to himself. He was absolutely beat and would be quite content to sleep for the next fourteen hours straight. Racking his brain for a reason as to _why_ he was in such a state, he came up blank. Whatever it was, it must have packed a wallop to put _him_ of all people on his ass like this. Speaking of which, his friend was being suspiciously quiet. Normally, he’d be chewing Naruto out for his recklessness right about now. Or making fun of him, depending on the situation.

As though summoned by his thoughts, the fox’s voice rumbled through his head. **“Go to sleep, brat. You’re still recovering.”**

“Kurama?” Naruto pried weary eyes open to look for his friend. Something about the bijū’s voice was off. He wanted to find out what, but he was just so _tired_ , and his body wouldn’t cooperate with him, and his eyelids felt like they were weighed down with lead.

**“Get some rest. I’ll handle things for now.”**

Okay. No problem. Naruto trusted Kurama unconditionally, so he would listen. Maybe once he’d slept this off, then Kurama would fill him in. He sighed in contentment as he gave in to sweet oblivion.

* * *

_I'll take you away from your nightmare!_

_If only you would come with me!_

_I want to show you a better way, so you and I will finally be free!_

The Fourth Shinobi War ended, and yet true peace was still a distant dream. The calamitous destruction brought about by the Jūbi only reinforced the fear of the bijū and their jinchūriki. Fear and desperation made people stupid or dangerous. Oftentimes both.

Kakashi raced towards the rampaging Kyūbi, worry gnawing at him. This couldn’t have gone more wrong. Everything was falling apart. They had already lost so many good shinobi, good comrades, and now if Kurama’s reaction was anything to go by, Naruto was in critical condition. The Rokudaime Hokage pushed himself to go faster.

The sunshine boy filled with false bravado had grown and matured, but he looked so tiny crumpled on the ground, blood spilling out around him. Kakashi used his chakra to hastily trace out a seal, one firmly ingrained in his memory even without the sharingan. Sealing was truly an invaluable skill and he was grateful for all the time he and Naruto had spent together working on it, because right now it was his best hope for getting Naruto out of here alive.

All that mattered was getting him away. Someplace safe.

Light blazed as the seal took shape. Catching wind of what he was up to, Kurama threw his chakra into the mix to speed them on their way. The three were whisked away in a clap of thunder.

Destiny unfurled in a new direction.

* * *

_I never wanted this_

_I never asked for it_

_But this is what you gave me_

Dread pooled in his stomach. His thoughts were already beginning to spiral and took all his concentration to pay attention to Kurama’s explanation.

**“Naruto was not meant to exist in this time. The only way to prevent him from disappearing entirely was to merge with him. He had no body to inhabit, so I created this form from chakra alone.”**

“So is he…” Kakashi could hardly complete the thought. The idea that Naruto might be permanently damaged from their little jaunt through time was beyond terrifying. Naruto was a precious light that washed away the darkness of Kakashi’s younger years. Not only that, but he was Kakashi’s last anchor to sanity, to life. Without him...

**“He is safe. He simply needs time to adjust. Our consciousnesses remain separate, so while he sleeps I am in control.”**

As much of a relief as it was to know that Naruto would be alright, his former sensei couldn’t help but blame himself. It was his seal that got them into this mess.

Kurama whacked him, surprisingly gently, in the back of the head, scowling. **“Seeing as Naruto isn’t awake to knock some sense into you, I shall do so in his place. This is not your fault. If anything, it was my chakra that threw everything off.”**

Well. Kakashi must look truly pathetic for the perpetually cantankerous fox to jump in to comfort him. He couldn’t help it though. As many regrets as he had, and as tempting as it was to have a chance to fix them handed to him on a silver platter, nothing was worth Naruto’s life. He would make use of this opportunity only so long as Naruto’s wellbeing wasn’t at stake.

* * *

_Death would be an ample compensation_

_Even if it's my demise_

_But heaven doesn't want me_

Blood splattered in a hot spray of red death, the sound of a thousand chirping birds fading back into grim silence. Nothing else stirred in the dead of the night. Anbu Hound pulled back his hand, covered in the already cooling lifeblood of his target. Another layer of blood that he would never be able to wash off. Another stain on his soul.

He left the lifeless corpse behind to regroup with his team, who had been taking care of the guards while he carried out the assassination. He wasn’t overly worried about them, but it wouldn’t do to get sloppy. One slip-up could be fatal. Kakashi would prevent that no matter what. The only thing he lived for now was to ensure the return of all of his comrades, even at the expense of himself. His borderline suicidal tendencies drove his team nuts, particularly Genma, mother hen that he was. But Kakashi was good at it. There was a reason that his team took the most dangerous missions. There was a reason he had the respect of every single member of the Anbu black ops. All the same, he kept everyone at arm's length. While he hadn’t managed to get himself killed yet, all bets were off for everyone else. One way or another, anyone he let close wound up dead.

Kakashi wouldn’t be able to handle it if it happened again. For all his strength as a shinobi, he felt as fragile as glass, teetering on the brink of falling and shattering into a million broken pieces.

* * *

_Pain left below_

_The lifeless live again_

“I want to save them. Not just for their sake, but for Sasuke and Itachi too.” Fierce determination ignited a fire within him. The Uchiha Massacre was a tragedy that should never have happened, the culmination of selfish manipulation and misplaced anger. As both witness and sole survivor, the mental and emotional strain placed on Sasuke drove him to many a stupid decision. His grief was buried under rage. Every moment thereafter was spent hyper fixated on his singular goal of revenge. Naruto would spare Sasuke of that if he could, even if the Sasuke here would never be _his_ Sasuke.

The same went for Itachi. While Naruto hadn’t known him well, his heart still ached for his plight. Itachi had still been a child himself when he was coerced into slaughtering his family. It was a burden he never should have had to shoulder.

With Uzushio already decimated and the remnants scattered, it was too late to save his own clan. But the family of his brother in all but blood was alive and in danger. Innocent lives were at stake and Naruto would not surrender them to Danzo’s or Madara’s machinations so easily.

Kakashi gazed at him searchingly, age and experience that belied his physical appearance evident in his eyes. (And how strange it was to see him so _young._ ) “Maa, then we had better get some incriminating evidence of Danzo’s schemes. And see if your infamous Talk no Jutsu can work its magic.”

* * *

_What did I do, why do I deserve this?_

_So we're different, why do I deserve to die now?_

_Give me a reason why?_

Angry whispers and furtive glares were following him again. He hated this. He hated that he was hated and didn’t even know why. If they hated him because of his pranks or because he was loud—that he could tolerate. At least that would mean that they acknowledged his existence, that they saw him as a living, breathing person. But being hated for something he wasn’t aware of? What could be so bad? What was it about him that made him so easy to despise?

Naruto kicked a stray twig down the street in a fit of pique. It was pointless to question things, since no one would answer him anyway.

He shook himself vigorously. Too much thinking was getting him down, so he needed a little pick-me-up. Plastering on a mischievous grin, Naruto took off towards the academy at a brisk jog. Leaving a surprise for the teme sounded like a fantastic idea. A gleeful cackle bubbled out of him just imagining the bastard’s face tomorrow morning. He tucked all his dark feelings away behind a cheerfully bumbling facade.

* * *

_Through constant pain disgrace_

_The young boy learns their rules_

Kurama gave a derisive sniff at all of the stares. You’d think they’d be used to the sight of Uzumaki red hair. After all, even with Uzushio destroyed and the Uzumaki clan dead or scattered to the four winds, Konoha had their own resident Uzumaki who made very little effort to be unobtrusive and unnoticable. But then again, most humans were nosy gossip mongers, so he should have expected the attention.

Naruto had always been a magnet for the spotlight, whether the attention was positive or negative. If there were any silver linings to be had in this situation, at least Naruto would get a fresh start, a second childhood free of the unfounded blame and anger.

The overgrown brat was also receiving his fair share of attention, too. From his vague recollection of his time sealed within the Kushina, this was due to the boy’s father, The White Fang. Public opinion was a fickle thing. The common people threw about praise and adoration and all but worshipped the very ground their vaunted heroes walked on. However, there was nothing they enjoyed more than watching a hero fall, giving them free reign to slander and drag the fallen’s name through the mud. More evidence of the ugliness of humanity.

Stirrings of sympathy for Naruto’s chibi-fied former sensei had Kurama scoffing at himself for going soft. He blamed Naruto for the reluctant and begrudging friendship between the Hatake brat and himself. The kid’s determination was unbreakable even when up against a grouchy, ancient beast of pure chakra.

* * *

_Here at the edge, losing my ground_

_Stare into the great divide_

_Pushing me over, pulling me down_

“My name’s Uchiha Obito! Nice to meet ya!”

The difference in Obito was startling. Naruto, or rather Nikko, had become accustomed to the quiet, brooding ways of several Uchiha, and despite the little Kakashi had said about him, it was still shocking. Such exuberance seemed unnatural in comparison. Had he not known better, he would swear he was looking at a younger version of himself under a henge.

“Uzumaki Nikko,” he replied absently. He felt off balance. He could hardly look at his father (no not his father anymore), trying his best to focus on anything else so as not to dwell on the grief over the lack of recognition in Minato’s eyes. If he didn’t keep a tight rein on his emotions, he feared he would cry and cry and never stop.

Kurama’s presence, stronger and closer than he was used to, brushing against the edges of his thoughts provided some much needed solidarity. The fox was best at showing his care in small, quiet ways. Nikko was immensely grateful for any scrap of comfort while he struggled to come to terms with his new reality.

He turned his attention to the girl, Rin if he remembered correctly, as she stepped forward to introduce herself. He has to fight back a tremble at the flash of golden yellow hair in the corner of his eye and the hand that settles comfortably on the girl’s shoulder.

* * *

_Broken down, hurt again, it never ends_

_Frightened and trembling_

Everything hurt. Like his veins had been pumped full of liquid fire and every bone in his body had been shattered into a thousand pieces. Blood congealed in his throat as he tried to breath past the feeling of _burningsuffocatingdrowningcrushingweight._ He felt like his insides had been carved out and replaced with pure agony.

Distantly, through the haze of pain and the roaring in his ears, he could just make out a voice. It was angry, so very, very angry. He could not make heads or tails of what was being said, his brain too preoccupied with the hellfire wreaking havoc on his body to process anything else. This was it, he knew instinctively. He was already dead, or close enough to it that there would be no coming back from this. _Just let it end,_ he begged. This slow, creeping death was not something he’d wish on even his worst enemy.

A flicker of chakra practically on top of him managed to garner his attention. Recognition. _It’s too late for me,_ he wanted to say, but couldn’t draw enough air into his lungs to speak. Fear began to creep in past the agonizing pain. Not for himself and his impending death, but for the few precious people he had left.

Willing his body into cooperation, he mouthed, “Save yourself.”

* * *

_Do you feel that hope is fading?_

_Do you comprehend?_

_Do you feel it terminating?_

Like a streak of moonlight made tangible, Kakashi’s tanto, the same one once wielded by his father, flashed out with wicked sharpness and near-surgical precision. He was careful to aim for debilitating, but not life-threatening, injuries. There was no need to punish the Root operatives for obeying the man who chained their will. They were not to blame.

His focus split at the clash of metal behind him. That Minato-sensei was more than capable of handling Danzo didn’t stop Kakashi from worrying. The bastard was crafty and resourceful, not afraid to fight dirty even by shinobi standards. He was not a man to be underestimated. It was for that reason that Kakashi fought to be included in this, so that he could watch his sensei’s back. He would not lose him again to an untimely death.

And although he couldn’t detect his presence, he knew Nikko was squirreled away somewhere nearby as well. Neither of them were the type to sit back and let others deal with a problem as big as the one posed by Danzo. Together, they would ensure he didn’t escape his due judgement as well as prevent any casualties on their side. They would make Danzo regret his conniving, war-mongering ways.

* * *

_Remember we die_

_But you're still alive_

_So don't let go_

“We can’t always save everybody,” Kakashi reminded gently, comforting despite the grief thick in his own voice. “That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try.” Left unspoken, but nevertheless understood were the words ‘ _We can only do our best and hope that it works out_.’

Naruto leaned into Kakashi and let the welling tears spill over. It wasn’t anything he hadn’t heard before. All the same he felt like a failure, like he really hadn’t changed from the dumb kid who could never do anything right. His mind kept cycling over events, trying to pinpoint where they went wrong, how they could have prevented this.

He knew better than to give in to despair. To let himself be broken by circumstances beyond his control. But sometimes you had to let it all out before you could move on. Better to get the crying over with now than to let it fester and build until his emotions overwhelmed him in an uncontrollable tide.

And after that, there was work to be done.

* * *

_Embedded deep under my skin_

_A permanent reminder_

_Of how we began_

Nikko brushed his fingers against his shoulder where the scar sat, faded but still visible. It was a reminder of his past, of a future that would never be. His best friend and brother, who he had lost so soon after finally reconnecting, had left his mark on Nikko, both physical and psychological.

Thinking of him was painful. Loss still ate at him, raw and bleeding, tinged with bitter regret. Seeing him in this time was all at once heartbreaking and relieving. Untouched by tragedy, Sasuke was a carefree, if precocious, child. It was clear to see that his big brother was the world to him, what with the way he constantly trailed after Itachi and demanded his attention, and how he boasted proudly of his brother’s accomplishments to anyone who would listen.

This time Sasuke would have a proper childhood. One that wasn’t cut short, forcing him down a dark road. And maybe without the unfair burdens weighing them down, this Sasuke would befriend his alternate self sooner, and without all the trials and mistakes Nikko had endured with his own Sasuke.


End file.
